Tanaka reclaims lead with 67

The PGA Tour's smallest player came up big Saturday in the third round of the Bell Canadian Open.

Hidemichi Tanaka, the animated Japanese player who stands 5-foot-6 and weighs just 132 pounds, shot a 3-under 67 -- highlighted by an eagle on the par-5 17th -- to take a two-stroke lead over four players into the final round.

Tanaka hit a 3-wood from 258 yards within 6 feet on the 550-yard 17th to set up the eagle. He also had six birdies and five bogeys, the last on the difficult 18th, to finish at 7-under 203 on the hilly Hamilton Golf and Country Club course.

"That was great with a lot of birdies, but with the wind, little misses turned into bogeys," Tanaka said through a translator. "I was trying to be patient today because I knew there was going to be tomorrow left."

Second-round leader Charles Howell III three-putted the 18th green for a bogey and an even-par 70, leaving him two strokes behind along with Tom Pernice Jr. (65), Brad Faxon (66) and Fred Funk (68). Bob Tway (66) was three strokes back, and Vijay Singh (65) matched Steve Allan (69) at 3 under.

"I thought today played the most difficult it has all week," Howell said. "It's getting interesting. It should make for a heck of a final round."

Tanaka, who marks his putts with a Canadian $2 coin, one-putted the first five greens, holing birdie tries of Nos. 5, 8, 10 and 13 feet on Nos. 2-5, and also made a 40-foot birdie putt on No. 8 and a 30-footer from just off the green on 16.

He has used the lucky coin for the last seven years.

"I'm counting on it tomorrow," he said.

Based in Newport Beach, Calif., Tanaka is in his second full season on the PGA Tour after winning nine times on the Japanese Golf Tour.

"I felt that I had to come to the United States to get to the next level," he said. "I'm small in stature. I want to show the kids and smaller people, not only in Japan, but all over the world, that if I can do it, anyone can do it. I only have a 28-inch waist, and there's not many professional golfers with a 28-inch waist."

Pernice had a bogey-free round after a late practice session Friday.

"Yesterday, I struggled a little bit hitting the ball," Pernice said. "I was here until dark trying to figure it out. I got a little bit better, so I drove the ball much better and gave himself some opportunities.

"The key here is to get it into the fairway and give yourself some opportunities and try to take advantage of them when you can."

Faxon also eagled the 17th, hitting his 233-yard approach within 4½ feet, and made a 20-footer for par on 18.

Masters champion Mike Weir, attempting to become the first Canadian winner of this event since Pat Fletcher in 1954, shot a 70 to top an eight-player group at 2 under.

"I still may have an outside shot," Weir said. "I did start to hit some good shots at the end. I can build from that. ... The wind totally switched around a few times and fooled me. It was tough to pick a club out there."

Singh opened with a 75 and shot a 67 on Friday to make the cut by two strokes.

"It was probably my worst first round I've shot all year, especially when I was feeling so well," Singh said. "I thought I was really going to do well the first day. The weather dictated all that. It was really windy."

Divots:

• Paul Azinger, penalized two strokes Friday after a television viewer alerted Tour officials that the player's caddie removed the flagstick while his chip was still in motion on the 13th green, shot a 76 to fall to 4 over.

• Chris Baryla, the first Canadian amateur to make the cut since Doug Roxburgh in 1983, had a 77 and was 6 over. The British Columbia player is a senior at Texas-El Paso.

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